Under the Overcast Sky
by Above the Winter Moonlight
Summary: An island shrouded with secrets; an unknown vengeful ghost; a lethal jungle filled with deadly ghost creatures. In a fight for more than just their lives, Danny and Vlad are forced to put aside their differences and work together, even with the odds of survival stacked against them. CH 2 Posted
1. 1: The First Attack

_Okay, I have a few notes before I begin. This story is being posted now, even though I have only finished the first chapter, in honor of the 10__th__ Dannyversary. It's going to be another survival story that may replace _Nightfall_ but will focus more on Danny and Vlad, though other characters will be part of the story of course. There is an OC antagonist for the second half of the story; I don't normally use OC main characters but I needed a specific kind of character and none of the canon ghosts would've worked. This story also begins the Sunday after the CAT but the CAT occurs the weekend before winter break in this AU. I hope that you like it and reviews, as always, are much appreciated._

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Danny Phantom, I never have, I never will and I'm only saying this once so I will not repeat it in later chapters._

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**Under the Overcast Sky**

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**1**

**The First Attack**

Danny lifted his head and immediately wished he hadn't as his head throbbed painfully. He rested a hand on his head squeezing his eyes closed as he attempted to figure out what just happened. He couldn't remember anything beyond the ghost's arrival and subsequent attack; everything after that was a big, dark blur.

Only when his headache started to fade did Danny open his eyes. He shielded them against the glare of a fire that was burning in the center of the clearing. Looking around, Danny could see the shadows gathering around the edges of the otherwise empty clearing. When he looked at the sky, he could see stars and wondered just how long he had been unconscious.

_And who made that fire?_ He thought.

"You're awake," a familiar, and very unwelcome, voice said and Danny's head snapped in the direction of the voice so quick that it started to throb again. He grabbed his head muttering under his breath as he glared at Vlad Masters as the older halfa made his way into the clearing.

Vlad ignored the glare Danny was giving him as he dropped the pieces of wood that had been in his arms next to the fire. "You hit your head pretty hard. I wasn't expecting you to wake up as quickly as you had," he added.

"What happened? Where are we? Where are my parents? And Jazz, Sam, Tucker and Valerie?" Danny asked looking around the dark clearing and frowning when he didn't see his family or friends.

"You must have hit your head a lot harder than I had thought, Daniel," Vlad said. "But I'll enlighten you. We were arguing in one half of the plane while your parents, sister and friends were in the other half when the ghost attacked. When you were knocked unconscious, the ghost caused the plane to snap in half. I'm not sure if that was its original plan or not. Either way, both halves went to opposite ends of the island we had been flying over. It was only because of my ghost powers that I was able to get us both to the island with minimal injuries."

"What about everyone else?" Danny asked. His parents, sister and friends had ended up on the other side of the island and there was no way of knowing if they had survived, other than if Vlad managed to determine it himself. Danny knew he probably wouldn't care if Danny's father died but Danny knew he would still have checked, if only for Danny's mother.

"They're likely on the other end of the island, if they survived." Vlad was never one to beat around the bush when stating something.

Danny felt anger go through him at Vlad's nonchalant reply. "What do you mean 'if'?" he demanded. "Did they survive or didn't they?"

"I don't know, Daniel."

"Don't know? What do you mean you don't know?"

"I'm not omniscient. I don't know everything," Vlad said irritably.

"Why didn't you check on them?"

"It would have taken too long to walk and I was not about to leave you by yourself."

Danny narrowed his eyes confused. "Why didn't you just fly?" That seemed the logical thing to do and Danny was surprised that the older halfa hadn't thought of that.

Vlad glared at the sky. "I did think of that but I can't fly," he said fury coloring his voice.

"What?"

The older halfa transferred his glare from the sky to Danny. "You heard me," he hissed before he took a deep breath and, after he calmed down, he added, "I don't know how it happened. I was flying just fine until we hit something and then I couldn't fly anymore. Thankfully, I could still float or else we wouldn't have survived."

He pressed his lips together studying Danny before he added, "Once you feel up to it, you should probably check your powers. If my ability to fly was affected then I have no doubt yours was as well."

"What could've caused that?" Danny asked.

Vlad shrugged. "I wish I knew."

Danny felt frustrated though he knew it wasn't Vlad's fault, for once. Whatever had disrupted Vlad's ability to fly—and likely Danny's as well—meant that there was no way of figuring out if Danny's family and friends had survived right away. That was the one thing that scared Danny the most; Clockwork had saved Danny's family and friends only yesterday or a few days ago—Danny didn't know how much time had passed so he really couldn't say how long it has actually been—and Danny naturally still feared losing them.

He got to his feet and swayed; everything spun around him as his headache returned and nausea swept through him. Gritting his teeth, he started toward the jungle only to stop when Vlad's hand clasped on his shoulder. He tried to shrug it off but Vlad's grip was like iron.

"And where do you think you're going, Daniel?" the older halfa demanded.

"To find my family and friends," Danny said coolly again trying to get free from Vlad's grip.

"In the middle of the night? That's stupid, even for you."

Danny glared at the older halfa. "I have to find them and make sure they're okay," he snapped.

"At the risk of getting killed yourself? Daniel, you don't know what's out there and your powers might not be working properly."

"Why do you care?" Danny said eyes flashing.

Vlad's eyes went red with fury but, after a moment, his eyes returned to normal. "I've always cared, little badger," he said calmly.

"Funny way of showing it."

Vlad didn't respond to that. Instead, he said, "I know you wish to find your family and friends but I strongly suggest you, at least, wait until morning."

Danny frowned unsure of what to think of Vlad's suggestion even though it was obviously a good one. Vlad was also right that Danny didn't know what was in the jungle nor if any of his powers even worked. Still, that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Fine," he said.

"Don't sulk, Daniel. You're not four," Vlad said releasing Danny's shoulder before returning to the fire. Danny glared at him; he was _not_ sulking.

He decided against saying that though and, instead, decided to check on his powers. Willing forth his ghost half, the bright rings of white light appeared around his waist and separated leaving him in his ghost form. Unfortunately, Danny could tell right away that something was wrong with his ghost form because he fell, unceremoniously, out of the air.

"How is that fair?" he complained pushing himself to his feet and attempting to float again but, unfortunately, it didn't work.

Vlad smirked at him. "Life's not fair, little badger," he said before wincing when Danny shot an ectoray at him that struck him in the arm.

"Well, at least that works," Danny said lowering his hand before he tested his invisibility and his intangibility, both of which seemed to be working. However, his ghost stinger—which was one power that he didn't use often anyway—wasn't working. Danny still couldn't get the hang of duplicating and, when he tried, he found himself with two heads listening to a snickering Vlad.

Scowling, he blasted Vlad with another ectoray before reabsorbing the second head and went through the last of his powers, with the exception of one; his Ghostly Wail, which was his most powerful and most destructive power. That was one power that Danny wasn't going to test because it used too much of his energy, he didn't want Vlad to know about it and, after Danny used that power twice on Dan, he vowed that it would only be used when he had no other options left.

"Well, with the exception of flying, floating—still unfair—and my ghost stinger, it looks like my powers are working," Danny said.

"And you still can't duplicate," Vlad commented with a smirk. "Of course, if you had accepted my offer…"

Danny sent another ectoray flying at Vlad as his answer but the older halfa dodged. Surprisingly, like the other times Danny fired at him, he hadn't brought up a shield to block the attack like he usually would. Tilting his head to the side, the younger halfa smirked. "You can't create shields, can you?"

"At least I can float and duplicate," Vlad retorted.

_Of course you would rub that in my face,_ Danny thought but, before he could respond to that, the older halfa sat down beside the fire and began tossing more sticks into the blaze.

"Daniel, we're both trapped on this island with access to only some of our powers and we don't know where your parents, sister and friends ended up. As I already know you are going after them tomorrow, since I know you know I'm right that it would be suicide to leave now, perhaps it would be best if we work together."

"Work together?" Danny scoffed. "I'd sooner work with the Box Ghost."

"That's insulting. Certainly, I am better than that nuisance," Vlad said.

"Not by much." Danny dodged out of the way of the pink ectobeam Vlad shot at him from his eyes.

"Besides, you wouldn't last a day in the jungle without help," the billionaire half-ghost added.

"And you would?" the younger halfa retorted.

"Contrary to popular belief, I would. Your mother taught me and your idiot father basic survival skills during college before the accident and I taught myself more after that," Vlad said tossing another stick into the fire.

"Never would've guessed," Danny said dryly even if he was mildly surprised that Vlad (bigshot billionaire half-ghost) Masters actually knew survival skills.

"Of course you wouldn't have guessed, little badger. You assume too much," the older halfa said. "I can help you, Daniel. If you want to stand a chance at finding your family and friends then I strongly suggest you accept my offer."

Danny folded his arms across his chest. "What's in it for you?" he asked.

"Other than making sure you don't get yourself killed, nothing," Vlad said.

"Oh sure." Danny rolled his eyes. "You never offer anything without wanting something in return."

"Don't believe me? I'm hurt," Vlad said sardonically. "It's your choice, Daniel, but I would rather not tell your mother that you got yourself killed because you were too stubborn to accept help from someone who, at least, knows the basics of surviving in the wilderness."

Danny scowled because, once again, Vlad was right. He didn't like that he would have to depend on Vlad—at least until he learned enough to survive on his own—but he knew that if he wanted to stand a chance at finding his family and friends then he didn't have a choice. "Fine, fruitloop," he said.

"I figured you would see things my way, Daniel," Vlad said sounding smug and Danny promptly blasted him with another ectoray.

**. . .**

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Vlad admitted that, while he hated that he and Daniel were stranded on an island who knew where and were separated from the beautiful Maddie, her daughter, Daniel's friends and the idiot, this gave him a perfect opportunity. As with all other opportunities that have been placed before him, Vlad was going to take this one and run with it. If he could stay on Daniel's good side—or rather get _on_ the boy's good side and _then_ stay on it—then he would be one step closer to achieving what he has always wanted.

All Vlad ever wanted—besides the Packers and Jack Fenton's death—was to be loved and he had hoped to get that with Daniel as well as Maddie. Naturally, he underestimated Daniel's loyalty and love toward his father. And, thinking back, Vlad wondered if he had played his cards a bit less rashly when they first met then would the end result still have been the same?

Vlad shook his head. _No sense in thinking about something that can't be changed,_ he thought. He glanced toward Daniel who was curled up a few feet away from the fire with his head pillowed on his arms. He smiled a little as he gazed at the boy he saw as his son, even if the feeling wasn't mutual, before he turned his gaze to the fire. His mind was already beginning to come up with plans and moves to be made.

Vlad was a master chess player. He always knew what moves to make and when to make them and he was very good at planning ahead. He could win a game of chess in three moves if he wanted to and he could do that with the game he was playing with Daniel. However, the point of the game was not about winning—it never had been—it was about teaching Daniel and helping him know and understand the game.

With the two of them stranded on an island with access to only some of their powers, Daniel was forced to depend on Vlad; _that_ was the opportunity that Vlad was using to his advantage. He had his chance to prove to Daniel what he has been trying to prove to the boy since they met; that they were the only two in existence and shouldn't be enemies; that they could do so much together in both the human realm and the ghost zone.

Of course, it wouldn't be easy with how stubborn Daniel was but Vlad was a patient man. He knew it would take time to get on Daniel's good side and even more time to gain the boy's trust. Daniel was not someone who trusted instantly; you needed to earn his trust and that was what Vlad was going to do.

He just had to make sure he didn't make any more rash decisions. He knew and understood that it was his rash decision at both the reunion and within the Rockies that lost him both Daniel and his mother. He would have to play his game more carefully, more patiently, more sensibly if he wanted to stand a chance at getting what he wanted.

And he would because he always got what he wanted.

Morning dawned with a crack of thunder followed by a torrent of cold rain that tore Vlad out of his sleep. Lifting his head, he glared at the overcast sky and the rain that was falling in curtains from the sky above. The rain had put out the fire and Vlad, shivering, glanced toward Daniel to find the boy awake and shivering.

"How long have you been awake?" Vlad asked. Even in the limited light that came from the lightning strikes and the faint reddish tinge to the dark gray clouds that suggested it was dawn, he could see that the boy looked exhausted as if he got little, if any, sleep the night before.

"Few hours," Daniel said shivering again.

Vlad walked over to the hollowed out tree where he had stashed their bags of clothing and ghost weapons—Vlad couldn't be sure if it was Maddie or the idiot who insisted that Daniel pack weapons—that had been placed in a compartment in the half of the plane Vlad and Daniel had been in.

"Where'd those come from?" Daniel asked getting to his feet.

"After I brought you here while you were still unconscious, I went back to the crash site to see if anything survived. These did though a few of your parents' inventions were damaged beyond repair," Vlad said pulling out the bags before handing Daniel's to him.

"Let's find some drier ground," the older halfa added.

Daniel, taking the bag, nodded shivering.

It was still raining heavily by the time Vlad found a suitable location. It wasn't as great as he had wanted but, at least, not as much rain was getting through the thick canopy above. It was still wet though, which meant it would be impossible to make a fire.

"Where are we going to start looking for mom, dad, Jazz and my friends, Vlad?" Daniel asked using his intangibility to dry his clothes and his bag.

"I suggest we just head to the other end of the island. We may me up with them in the middle if they are looking for us," Vlad said also drying his clothes. It was a good thing he had been prepared just in case; it was winter though Vlad had been expecting to deal with snow rather than rain. Either way, a jacket was a jacket.

Without waiting for a response, he went around a tree to get changed before returning to the clearing afterwards noticing Daniel had changed into drier clothes as well and was also wearing a thick jacket with a hood. He was seated in the middle of the clearing looking through his bag and pulling out various ghost weapons and equipment.

"…signal but I'm not really that surprised," Daniel was murmuring when Vlad returned. He put down the Fenton phone had been listening to before he looked at the other weapons and began trying them; one ectobeam from an ectoblaster nearly hit Vlad had he not stepped aside to avoid it.

The cheeky smirk that crossed Daniel's face immediately told the older halfa that had not been an accident.

"Funny, Daniel," Vlad said coolly and shot his own ectobeam back at Daniel with his eyes. Daniel tried to conjure up a shield but it failed and he yelped as the beam hit his shoulder.

"You can't create shields, _can you?_" Vlad tossed the younger halfa's own words back at him with a mocking sneer.

Daniel, hand on shoulder, glared at him before muttering "fruitloop" under his breath though just loud enough for Vlad to hear him. He then went back to looking through the limited number of weapons he had in his pack.

Vlad sat down. The overcast sky was illuminated by another bolt of lightning and the breeze seemed to grow colder. Vlad hated storms and he hated the cold; he was positive that was because he had a hot core. He hoped that the storm would go away soon.

"Don't like the rain, fruitloop?" Daniel asked looking toward Vlad as the older halfa shivered.

"Perhaps I don't, little badger," Vlad said.

The boy glared at him. "Don't call me that," he snapped.

"Don't call me fruitloop," Vlad retorted.

"No."

"Then I won't stop calling you little badger, little badger."

Vlad drew on his hot core to keep himself warm before glancing toward Daniel who was still shivering. He knew that if he even tried to offer to help him, the boy would refuse and yet he certainly didn't want the boy to get pneumonia.

Sighing, Vlad stood up before moving to Daniel's side. "Until the rain stops, it'll be a waste of time trying to get a fire going," he said sitting down beside the boy before he put an arm around him drawing him closer.

Despite the warmth Daniel was no doubt feeling, he still glared at him. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Making sure you don't get pneumonia," Vlad replied.

Daniel snorted. "I doubt a little rain's gonna give me pneumonia, Vlad," he said.

"We're in the middle of winter, Daniel," Vlad said.

"Really? And here I thought I had just started summer break," Daniel said dryly.

"Your wit is as outstanding as ever, little badger," Vlad said voice equally as dry.

"Fruitloop," Daniel muttered.

Vlad half-expected Daniel to move away from him and he wasn't too surprised when, eventually, the boy did though all he did was stand up. "Where are we going to start looking, Vlad?" he asked folding his arms across his chest.

"Do you honestly think it would be a good idea to start our search in _this_?" Vlad asked gesturing to the storm that was raging around them.

"You won't melt, Plasmius. Well, I guess you could," Daniel said with a shrug. He grew serious before adding, "But you said we could start looking in the morning. It's morning."

"Yes but I was not expecting this storm," Vlad said.

Daniel was about to reply when his body shivered and a blue mist escaped between his lips. At the same time, Vlad felt his own ghost sense go off. He stood up and shifted forms before looking around for the ghost as did Daniel after he also shifted into his ghost form.

However, no matter where they looked, they couldn't find the cause of their ghost senses. Daniel frowned. "That's weird," he said.

"It is," Vlad murmured. "If we're in another ghost's territory then they should have attacked. No ghost likes having another ghost, half-ghost or otherwise, in their territory."

"Maybe they're friendly ghosts that just want to be left alone," Daniel suggested.

"Possible but unlikely," Vlad said. "If they wanted to be left alone then they would never have come here and if we were near their lair then our ghost senses would have, most likely, gone off sooner."

"Well, since you seem to know everything, what's going on?" Daniel said.

Vlad opened his mouth to respond only to pause when he swore he spotted red eyes glaring at him from in the darkness. A low growl echoed throughout the jungle; despite the pounding rain and thunderclaps, Vlad heard it. He stiffened before looking toward Daniel. "I believe I found the ghost," he said as the fronds parted.

The largest lion ghost Vlad has ever seen padded into the clearing; its mane was black while the rest of its body was green and it had a white glow around him that was what allowed the two half-ghosts to see it. Its crimson eyes were fixed on the two half-ghosts and it curled its lips back in a snarl revealing long, sharp teeth as it prepared itself to attack.

The lion ghost leapt at them, curved claws outstretched. Grabbing Daniel, Vlad floated out of the way before unleashing an ectoblast toward the lion. Unfortunately, the ectoblast bounced off the lion's body and didn't seem to hurt it at all. Frustrated, Vlad fired more ectoblasts and Daniel soon joined in but none of the ectoblasts seemed to have any effect on the lion ghost.

"Why aren't our attacks working?" Daniel asked bewildered.

Vlad narrowed his eyes. "I've never seen a ghost immune to ectoblasts before," he said before he dodged out of the way to avoid the lion ghost's claws. Daniel yelped and quickly scrambled backwards before grabbing the closest thing to him—a large rock—and hurling it at the lion ghost. Vlad was about to roll his eyes at the pathetic attack when the rock struck the lion ghost in the side of the head causing it to growl in pain and back up a few steps.

"Wow, I didn't think that'd work," Daniel said.

"It shouldn't have," Vlad said frowning. "Ghosts can easily avoid and aren't usually hurt by non-ectoplasmic weapons—unless they're serious wounds and I doubt a rock to the head is a serious wound—but…" He trailed off thoughtfully as an idea, though a bit far-fetched, came into his mind.

"I think I know what we're facing," Vlad said out loud gazing at the lion ghost as it charged toward them again. He floated backwards before wrenching a tree branch from the tree and swinging it at the lion ghost. The lion ghost yelped in pain and moved backwards again.

"Well, what are we facing then?" Daniel asked impatiently.

"I believe it's the ghost of the Nemean Lion."

"The what?"

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Even if you don't know or understand either Greek or Roman Mythology, surely you've heard of Hercules?"

"Uh, I've seen a movie about him."

Vlad resisted the urge to sigh. "Killing the Nemean Lion was one of the labors Hercules had to complete during his time. However, the Nemean Lion's fur was resistant to all weapons, which was why Hercules had to strangle it to death. However, since ghost weapons don't harm the living, it wouldn't surprise me if they would have worked against the Nemean Lion. This lion ghost, however, is resistant to ghost weapons, which means it's possible that it isn't resistant to the weapons that couldn't harm it while it was alive."

Daniel just looked at him.

Vlad smirked knowing full well that he had just confused the boy. "Just attack it with whatever non-ghost weapon you can find," he said.

"Oh. Well, you could've just said that," Daniel grumbled.

"You did ask," Vlad pointed out.

However, before the two half-ghosts could attack again, the Nemean Lion ghost, with another snarl of fury, suddenly turned before running off.

"Well, that was odd," Daniel said again sounding bewildered.

"Indeed," Vlad agreed with a frown. "I suggest we move our campsite, preferably out of that lion ghost's territory if we can find where it ends."

Daniel nodded and walked over to pick up his pack while Vlad, gazing at the jungle into which the Nemean Lion ghost disappeared, wondered what else the jungle had in store for them.

**To Be Continued**

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: and that was the first chapter**

**Darth: cool**

**Blaze: yup. Yet another stranded fic though this one focuses entirely on Danny and Vlad that has been posted, as I said at the beginning, in honor of the 10****th**** Dannyversary**

**Darth: cool**

**Blaze: on another note, **_**why is Vlad so hard to keep in character?**_** (Pouts)**

**Vlad: cause I'm awesome like that**

**Danny: (snorts and bangs thermos, with Dan in it, on Vlad's head)**

**Vlad: ow!**

**Dan: **_**I told you to stop doing that!**_

**Danny: would you rather I do this? (Starts banging thermos against stone wall)**

**Dan: NO! STOP IT!**

**Blaze: (smirks) well, I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter of this story and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


	2. 2: Nightmare

**I would like to personally thank the five people who reviewed the last chapter: **_**Do a Barrel Roll, pearl84**_**, **_**History101**_**, **_**Jaddis**_** and **_**Wilhelm**__**Wigworthy**_**. You guys are awesome and I hope that you enjoy the second chapter. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

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**2**

**Nightmare**

Vlad scanned the jungle as he and Daniel made their way through it. The jungle was thick to where Vlad had to cut them a path with ectoblasts as he searched for another suitable campsite while also looking for the ghost of the Nemean lion. At least the rain had stopped though the sky was still overcast suggesting that it would start raining again later.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Daniel asked.

"No," Vlad said blasting through another clump of fronds, vines and branches in front of him.

"Great. For all we know, we're walking around in circles," Daniel grumbled.

"Quit complaining, little badger, I'm sure we're not going in circles. We've been going in the same direction since we left our first campsite."

"If we get turned around, I'm blaming you."

_Of course you will,_ Vlad thought pushing aside a branch before stepping into a small clearing devoid of rocks and foliage. In fact, the clearing was filled entirely with sand; sand that looked like it hadn't been touched by anything, even rain. He narrowed his eyes when he spotted this before stretching out a hand to stop Daniel who had come to his side.

"What? It's just sand," Daniel said looking at the clearing.

"Something's not right about this clearing," Vlad said. "We should go around it."

"It's sand, Vlad. Don't tell me you're afraid of _sand_," Daniel said rolling his eyes.

Vlad glared at the younger halfa. "I'm not afraid. I'm just wary," he said before he bent down and picked up a large rock. He proceeded to toss it into the center of the clearing. Daniel opened his mouth likely to ask why he did that before he broke off when the rock vanished beneath the sand as if swallowed.

"Quicksand. I knew I was right to be wary," Vlad said before he looked at Daniel. "Come, we're going around it."

"How'd you know it was quicksand?" Daniel asked following Vlad as he skirted the edge of the clearing.

Vlad shrugged. He really didn't; he just had a hunch and tested it out. It was better than not testing it out and walking straight into it without knowing if it was really quicksand or not.

"There might be more so I suggest we check any clearing we see like that before we enter it. Since you can't even float, you probably will find it harder to get free than I would," Vlad said.

Daniel kicked him.

Vlad, wincing, glared at Daniel before he finished skirting around the clearing and kept going in the direction they had been walking since they left the last campsite. He blasted through another branch in front of him and Daniel frowned.

"Why don't we just use our intangibility?" he asked.

"The longer we use it, the more energy it takes. Ectoblasts take less energy than maintaining intangibility does," Vlad said absently looking around. The jungle had been full of life after the rain stopped but now it was eerily quiet and he didn't like it.

He, scanning the clearing they reached, stepped into it before narrowing his eyes for he was positive he could hear the sound of rushing water. "Sounds like a river somewhere close," he said before he scanned the area. His ghost hearing was better than normal hearing so the river could still be far off but the fact that he could hear it whereas, moments before, he couldn't hear anything was a good sign.

Daniel scanned the area as well with a frown. "So we head toward it?" he asked glancing at the older halfa.

"It's always good to have, at least, a good idea of where a source of water is located, little badger. Water is the most needed necessity for surviving in the wilderness, even more so than food since you can last longer without food than you can without water," Vlad said walking onward and blasting through another branch that got in his way.

The two of them came to the edge of another sandy clearing and Vlad skirted the edge of it eyes still scanning the area for any threats. So far, aside from the Nemean Lion's ghost, there was nothing and he figured he had gotten out of the Nemean Lion ghost's territory. However, he wondered where the other animals were. There didn't appear to be any signs of life anywhere.

Coming to a stop in another clearing, Vlad looked up at the overcast sky. He was thankful that it hadn't started raining since they started moving but the lack of a sun was unnerving. One of the things Maddie had taught him was how to tell in which direction you were walking and what time it was just by looking at the sun. Without a sun, Vlad was essentially going about this blindly and he hated it.

"Why'd we stop?" Daniel asked looking around the clearing as though expecting something to attack them. The boy was paranoid but then, considering how long he had been fighting and hunting ghosts since he became half-ghost, Vlad wasn't that surprised.

"I believe it may be nearing lunchtime," Vlad said.

"May be?"

"The lack of a sun makes it difficult to figure out what time of day it is," Vlad said sitting down on the grass before pulling off his pack and looking through it for the food he had managed to salvage from the wreckage.

Daniel sat down as well and began looking through his pack for something to eat. The silence they fell into was bearable and Vlad was thankful for the civility. It meant that—while he may not trust him and was not letting his guard down as was obvious by the tautness in his back, though that could just be in anticipation of another attack. Vlad didn't know—Daniel was at least willing to not do something to break the civility between them. Whether that would last, Vlad didn't know but he hoped that it would. The more civil they were the more likely Vlad could use that to his advantage.

For now, he simply opened up the bag of chips he had removed from his pack and began eating occasionally looking up at the sky or scanning the clearing. Thankfully, the short time they spent resting and eating passed by with no incident and the two of them headed out a short while later, only for it to start raining again almost as soon as they left the clearing.

Vlad glared at the sky. He really _hated_ the cold.

The two walked onward through the rain, using ectoblasts to blast through any vines or branches or undergrowth that got in their way. Vlad was feeling very uneasy by the lack of animals though, not even bugs and that was odd in itself as bugs were more often than not always in forests or anywhere there were plants really. It was odd to find a jungle teeming with life, in terms of plants, and yet devoid of life, in terms of animals.

"This is really odd," Vlad murmured breaking the silence.

Daniel glanced at him. "The fact that we haven't attacked each other yet?" he asked.

"Though it is remarkable you have lasted this long, no, I was referring to the lack of animals," Vlad said.

Daniel frowned. "Huh, I was wondering why it was so quiet," he said.

Vlad stopped before looking at Daniel with a raised eyebrow. "You mean you just figured out why it was so quiet _now_," he said incredulously.

Daniel glared at him. "I've been preoccupied," he snapped.

Vlad looked back in the direction they had been walking. "Of course you were," he said; his tone wasn't mocking as he figured Daniel was worried about his family and that was what was preoccupying his thoughts.

Daniel, on the other hand, seemed to have taken his words as a mock and he demanded, "Aren't you, at least, a _little_ worried?"

"Why should I be? Your mother and Valerie can handle themselves and, unless the idiot did something incredibly stupid, which I wouldn't put past him, I'm sure they're fine."

Daniel glared at him at the insult to his father but, before he could protest, both of them stiffened as their ghost senses went off at the same time. Unlike last time, though, this time the ghost attacked in an instant.

With a screech, the ghost flew downward into the clearing Vlad and Daniel had just been about to enter. It was a large gray-colored bird surrounded by a white nimbus with what looked like sharp, needle-like feathers. Vlad was starting to have a bad feeling about this bird; it seemed familiar as if from something he had learned a long time ago.

The bird looked around with sharp crimson eyes and Vlad placed a hand on Daniel's shoulders. "Stay still," he whispered.

"Why? It's not attacking," Daniel said.

"That does not mean it isn't dangerous Daniel. Surely you, of all people, should know by now to not underestimate anyone." Vlad continued to observe the bird as it let out another screech and flew into the air. Vlad ducked down grabbing Daniel and pulling him down beside him ignoring the sharp cry of protest just as the bird unleashed a series of glowing black spikes that sailed over their heads to sink deep into the trees and ground behind them.

Daniel stared wide-eyed at the spikes. "What was…?" He began only to break off with a yelp when Vlad, getting to his feet, pulled him to where they were hiding behind a tree. The other trees around them were so close that their roots and their branches intertwined with each other and the undergrowth was thick enough that Vlad and Danny could crouch down and be somewhat more out of sight than they were before.

"It seems to have better sense than I thought it did considering we aren't in ghost for," Vlad murmured peering around the tree only to duck away when another series of spikes shot toward him. "And yet, there are usually three, where are the other two?"

"Other two what? Vlad, what the heck is that thing?" Daniel demanded.

"I believe it's a Stymphalian Bird," Vlad said thoughtfully.

Seeing the confused look in Daniel's eyes, Vlad said, "One of Hercules's labors was to kill the Stymphalian Birds."

"Oh. So, uh, is it resistant to ghost powers too?"

"From what I remember, Stymphalian Birds eat men and it's possible that this is reversed when they turn into ghosts."

"Meaning what? Theyeat _ghosts?_ I didn't think that was possible," Daniel said.

"There is a lot you don't know about ghosts, Daniel," Vlad said, "though you would know more…"

"I swear if you bring up that offer of yours, I'm blasting you," Daniel growled.

Vlad's lips quirked before he schooled his expression into one of impassiveness; he glanced back at the bird who was still in the clearing looking around. "I do not know if it actually can eat ghosts; that is pure speculation on my part as I've never met the ghost of a Stymphalian Bird. However, based on what happened with the Nemean Lion, it's a reasonable assumption."

"So what do we do, Mr. I Know Everything There Is To Know About Ghosts?" Daniel asked dryly.

Vlad resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the boy. "I do not know everything there is to know about ghosts, Daniel, I simply know more than you," he said before he peered around the tree again. "Our best bet would be to distract it and run. If we can get out of its territory then we should be safe."

"And how do we know where its' territory ends?"

"Unfortunately, in a place like this, it's nearly impossible to figure out where one territory ends and another begins," Vlad said. "We need to distract it to give ourselves a better chance." He pressed his lips together thoughtfully. The bird could sense them when they weren't in ghost form but it would likely be able to sense them more clearly if they _were_ in ghost form. If Vlad could duplicate then he could send his duplicate to distract the bird while he and Daniel escaped. That would risk exposing them as he would have to shift forms—and he wasn't entirely sure he _could_ duplicate, as that was one power he hadn't tested yet. He hoped that he could for he was sure Daniel would never let him forget it—but it was the best plan he could come up with at the moment.

"Be ready to run, Daniel," Vlad said standing up slowly before he peered around the tree again. "Keep heading in the direction that we've been running. I will catch up with you."

"What're you doing?" Daniel asked watching as Vlad called forth his ghost form and shifted into his alter ego. Immediately, as he expected, the Stymphalian Bird's attention snapped toward their hiding spot.

Vlad didn't answer Daniel's question as he focused on duplicating and was relieved when he was able to do so. He sent the duplicate off before dropping to the ground and shifting back into human form as the Stymphalian Bird, with a shriek, took off after Vlad's duplicate.

"Let's go," Vlad hissed before he grabbed Daniel's arm and took off running this time using his intangibility to make it through the jungle faster.

"I can run just fine on my own!" Daniel said angrily.

Vlad ignored him until they had run a good enough distance and arrived in a clearing similar to the one the bird had landed in but more thoroughly covered. He then released the boy who rubbed his arm and glared at him.

Vlad glanced in the direction they had run before he reabsorbed his duplicate. "It would appear that my duplicate flew far enough to get out of that bird's territory. However, I am unsure if we managed to get out of its territory or not," he said.

"Wait, your duplicate was able to fly?" Daniel echoed.

"No, it was teleporting to keep ahead of that bird," Vlad said. It was exhausting using that particular power with his duplicate, especially with his powers limited as they were, but it was the only way to keep the Stymphalian Bird distracted long enough for them to get away from it.

"Now come, we should find a place to rest before we continue," he added and began walking again, glancing back once to make sure the boy was following him.

**. . .**

**. . .**

The two halfas decided to set up their camp in a clearing close by the river Vlad had heard earlier that day. They had managed to get to the river without encountering anymore creatures, ghostly or otherwise. Now, they were settling down on the other side of the river in a clearing that wasn't as well covered as Danny would have liked but it was better than the clearing they had found when they were attacked by that Nemean Lion. At least they were by a river and that meant Danny could finally wash his face and arms. Thankfully, the injuries he had sustained in the crash were practically healed by now, thanks to his ghostly abilities; he really was thankful that power hadn't gone away.

After he finished washing his face and arms, Danny moved back to the camp before sitting down. He and Vlad were silent though; there was nothing much to talk about, though Danny was grateful Vlad hadn't started with the whole 'join me' thing he's been doing since they first met.

They had agreed to work together and they were treating each other civilly but that did not mean Danny was going to forget everything the older halfa had put him through. He won't forget it but he wasn't going to think about that right now; he had too much on his mind. His parents were who knew where, possibly injured or maybe even dead already, and Danny still couldn't get the cold laugh and the mocking words of his alternate universe self out of his head.

_I'm still here, I still exist. That means you still turn into me._

_ And you're too late to save them._

Danny shivered before struggling to push those thoughts out of his head.

"Daniel?" Vlad said glancing toward him.

If Danny had been looking, he might have seen the gleam of concern in the older halfa's eyes. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed on the ground. "What?" he said.

"Are you all right?"

_Why does he suddenly care? He says he's always cared but he really does have a funny way of showing it,_ Danny thought. But he was trying to be civil with the older halfa; it would make this journey more tolerable for both of them.

"I'm fine," he said shortly still not taking his eyes off the ground.

Vlad continued to study him before he said, "We are running a bit low on food. We will have to eat more sparingly from now on and I'll have to look into finding another source of food for us. For now, I think it'll be best if we get some sleep."

Danny doubted he would be able to go to sleep. Ever since the accident, sleep was a foreign concept as he often spent most of the night fighting ghosts and, after the CAT, it just became worse. Danny did try to sleep, he did, but the memories of what happened still being so fresh in his mind made it difficult.

However, he was not about to admit that in front of Vlad.

So he nodded and lied down, pillowing his head on his arm and closing his eyes hoping that maybe, just maybe, he could have a restful, dreamless sleep.

Of course, when has Danny's life ever been that easy?

_Cool, crimson eyes gazed at him and there was a mocking twist in his lips as he drifted forward. "So how do you like this? The feeling that everyone you care about is gone? I told you it would come to this, Danny," he purred._

_ "You're wrong. They're not gone," Danny retorted twirling in midair to keep his alternate timeline self in view._

_ Dan grinned revealing his fangs as his eyes glistened with malice and amusement. "Really? You honestly believe that. They didn't have ghost powers to protect them. They probably died in a blazing inferno whereas you and the fruitloop got to safety easily," he purred._

_ "You're wrong," Danny said. "They're fine. I know they are."_

_ Dan let out a laugh, cold and sinister. "You _know _they are? Tell me then, how do you know they are fine? Hmm? Can't answer that, can you? They are gone, dead just as I told you would happen. They are gone, dead and you will become like me just as I said you would."_

_ "You're wrong! I won't become like you. I promised!"_

_ "It won't matter what you promised, Danny, because just because you promised does not stop your family and friends from dying, now does it? You can't protect them from dangers even you don't know a thing about."_

_ "Shut up. They know how to take care of themselves!"_

_ Dan chuckled. "Whether they do or not, it won't matter. They are as good as dead. Nothing you do will change that fact," he purred._

_ Danny glared at his alternate timeline self. "I will not become like you," he said firmly._

_ "You will, Danny, you will. I an inevitable." Then, with a chilling laugh, Dan vanished and Danny was thrust into an eerily familiar scene that he did not want to relive._

_ His parents, his sister and his two best friends, and Mr. Lancer, tied to the vat of overheating Nasty Sauce…_

_ The meter going into the danger red zone and the vat beginning to tremble…_

_ Dan's smirking face and sinister voice: "And you're too late to save them."_

_ Danny ran, ran as fast as he possibly could, hoping he could get to them before it was too late…_

_ He tripped…_

_ And the vat exploded…_

"No!"

Danny's scream tore through his lips before he had a chance to stop it.

"Daniel!" A moment later, Danny felt a hand on his shoulder shaking him attempting to wake him up but he just sobbed and shifted away, unable to bring himself out of the nightmare, continuously watching the vat explode over and over again.

"Daniel! Wake up! It's just a nightmare. Wake up, Daniel," Vlad called again shaking Danny's shoulders.

Danny finally managed to break free from the cold grips of the nightmare and his eyes snapped open to find Vlad gazing at him; there was a momentary gleam of concern in those midnight blue orbs and Danny wasn't entirely sure what to feel at the moment. Scared as the remnants of his nightmare continued to cling to his conscious, uncomfortable to find his archenemy so close and embarrassed to have been caught screaming and crying like a baby over a nightmare.

"Daniel…" Vlad began.

Danny sat up and shrugged himself out of Vlad's grip. "I'm fine," he said. He didn't sound convincing even to his own ears and he could tell by the look Vlad was giving him that the older halfa wasn't convinced either.

"It sounded like a pretty bad dream," the older halfa began.

"It's fine," Danny growled not wanting to discuss his nightmares with anyone and especially not with _Vlad Masters _of all people.

Vlad remained where he knelt for a moment longer before he stood up and moved back to where he had been lying before Danny's screaming woke him up. "It's still dark. I'm not sure how much longer we have to wait until dawn," he said clearly deciding to put what just happened aside.

Danny shivered suddenly very cold and he wasn't sure if it was because of the chill in the air or the rain that fell through the gaps in the canopy above or his ghost sense or something else entirely. "Do…Do you think we could leave early?" he asked wanting to do something, anything, to get his mind off his most recent nightmare. It was how he had managed to cope with them since they started.

Vlad glanced toward him narrowing his eyes and studying him. Finally, he shrugged. "Very well, Daniel. I strongly suggest you eat something first though," he said.

Danny reached over to his pack before fishing through it for something to eat and, sometime later, the two of them were up and making their way through the jungle once again. Unfortunately, Danny was unable to push away the emotions his nightmare stirred up away entirely and he found himself suddenly very anxious to find his family and friends.

_I hope they are all right. They have to be,_ he thought as he walked behind Vlad through the jungle.

**. . .**

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: okay, that was shorter than the first chapter but I liked it**

**Darth: I did too**

**Blaze: yup. Vlad was hard to keep in character again though (pouts)**

**Vlad: eh, you did an okay job**

**Blaze: (shrugs) anyway, it might not be that long but, hey, it's an update and, considering I haven't updated this story since the beginning of April…**

**Darth: so how many months are we going to have to wait for the next chapter?**

**Blaze: not months, weeks at the most. It's Summer Vacation so I'm going to have more time to work on my fanfiction stories, if I don't get distracted by the new fandom I'm writing in (**_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GX**_** if anyone is curious) or by the original story that I'm working on at the same time**

**Darth: so…before August?**

**Blaze: (glares) I'll try to have the next chapter up by the end of May**

**Darth: translation: sometime in the middle of the July**

**Blaze: shut up or I'm revoking your Starbucks privileges**

**Darth: (shuts up)**

**Blaze: good (hands Darth Vlad's credit card)**

**Darth: (grins and steals Vlad's car to go to Starbucks)**

**Vlad: wait! That's my credit card and my car!**

**Danny: do you **_**really**_** want to get between Darth and Starbucks?**

**Vlad: on second thought, no**

**Danny: wise choice**

**Blaze: (chuckles) well, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter (even if it was shorter than the last) and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


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